The Housemasters – John Gooch

John Gooch, who was President of the O.H.A. from 1938 to 1945, wrote to the Editors of the Skylark in 1972 regarding the original school housemasters as he knew them during his years at Westbere Road (1908-14) .

The present Houses were established during his school career; before them there existed a rather nebulous system, functional only on sports days, of houses named after birds, such as `Eagles' or `Swifts'. There were two housemasters to each house, one giving his name to the organisation.

Meadows
"I was in Meadows' house. Percy Meadows wore a bow tie as long as I can remember. Whether it was the same bow tie I don't know..... He was an organist, and a very good pianist. I remember listening to him during the Lord's Prayer in the morning - going up and down the piano, playing anything but the right tune. He taught music, and was a form Master.

Strouts
Strouts was a priceless old boy, really a very charming old man. I remember, he had a very big tummy. He was quite short, and I've seen him sitting on the edge of a desk with his feet on the seat, which made him face the class, looking at some particular boy with his cheeks puffed out - and the boy not knowing whether to laugh or cry, which I think used to amuse him... But he was a nice old boy; he taught general subjects, like History and English.

Russell
Russell was another musical man. He was a brilliant musician, and taught English among other subjects. He was a bachelor, and kept cats - mind you, this is hearsay, but these things get about with a modicum of truth.....

Henderson
Henderson taught history - he was a very clever man. At the thought of going up into his form, I trembled. The idea didn't delight me at all. He
was academically brilliant, but he should never have been a school master. I used to think he was spiteful - let's say that was my opinion of him at the time. I didn't think we'd get on at all together.

Jobling
Jobling was a marvellous fellow. Old Jobbo used to come to the old boys' dinners, and they always used to get him a bit the worse for wear, and he used to reminisce. He was a very nice man and he was a wonderful swimmer too. He'd got a broad pair of shoulders and I've seen him swimming down the bath with a small boy sitting on his back and a sort of bow wave around him; he was a terrific swimmer. Geometry and trig were his special subjects, but they all taught general subjects as well.

Calvert
Calvert: 'Bung-eye', he was known as - either he'd got a glass eye or an eye which stared at you, nobody was ever quite sure which. He taught anything, and we used to do our damndest, and pretty successfully too, to get him off the subject he was supposed to be teaching and on to something else; it wasn't frightfully difficult. We had most interesting talks - he was reputed to have been a journalist at one time, and I can well believe it. Somebody would put their hand up to ask a question which would lead to something, and if that didn't lead to anything someone else would, and eventually if we didn't get him off the subject it wasn't our fault.

Sargeant Hartnett
One's relationship with one's house master was a bit nebulous. They were all form masters as well; in a day school there isn't anything for a house to do really, except for the normal competitions. Sport was conducted on a house basis and practically nothing else. That would be soccer, cricket and swimming. They spent three years throwing-me in the deep end and letting me find my own way out -that's probably why I'm a very indifferent swimmer.

The man who threw me in, of course, was Sergeant Hartnett. He was the School Sergeant. He used to line up the forms for morning parade before we marched into prayers, took gymnasium and looked after the rifle club. I went along one day and put all my shots through the same hole, nearly. `Ah, good', he said, `I'll give you a place in the junior team - You come up at lunchtime for extra practice.' I went along next lunchtime, put all my shots around the edge of the target and ended up by smashing the target fastener, which was an unforgivable sin. He tore down the target and jumped on it. That was the end of my rifle - shooting.

...Sergeant Hartnett also ran the Corps; it was not compulsory, more a spare time occupation. In those days of course, there wasn't so much emphasis - we've had two major wars since then - I was never a member; I saved my camping for the army.

Discipline
The task of keeping discipline devolved on appointed form captains largely, although they never had much power. There were no such things as prefects; the system developed after my time. Masters gave lines, and you were `kept in', but the weekly detention was only for very serious offences, murder, and things of that sort.....

There was no school uniform; I used to wear a Norfolk jacket..... Teacher/pupil relationships were very mixed, and some were ragged unmercifully: booby traps were a favourite - the blind would go up; and a towel would come down, any diversion would do.... Now, I couldn't tell you exactly what those people did for me, but they gave me a sense of responsibility which is lacking to a very large extent in many places today, and that I've always been grateful for. I remember them with affection."